American Wedding Traditions
American wedding traditions are a fun part of the festivities. While customs will always be evolving, add a few of following practices into your American wedding for a traditional ceremony and reception.
Wedding Parties
Have you ever thought why the happy couple invites special friends and relations to join them in their wedding? This American party tradition dates back to ancient Roman times. Several women were asked to decorate like the bride so as to confuse any evil spirits that will try to kidnap the bride. Nowadays, the bridesmaids may dress differently from the bride, but they wear similar dresses to every other permanently luck. The best man and other groomsmen even have roles steeped in tradition. In earlier period, brides weren’t exactly willing parties. Instead, they’d be abducted by the groom, his groomsman, and other close friends. These men are now representing both consenting parties by being groomsmen.
The bridal bouquet
This age-old tradition of carrying a bouquet of flowers used to signify the emotions of the bride during the wedding. Although this significance might be missing, it goes to show that wedding traditions in America still have a meaning.
Traditional Bridal Showers
The bridal shower wasn’t originally intended to be a celebration for the bride to receive gifts. Rather, they were intended to assist raise dowry money for brides and their families who couldn’t afford one in Europe (1500s). Today’s showers started emerging round the 1800s within the U.S.
Wedding Cake
The cake is not just to supply a sweet end to a marriage feast. In earlier period, there was a unique meaning. A small cake was broken over the bride’s head during the ceremony to symbolize fertility. The guests would obtain the bits of cake that fell to the ground and keep them for luck. Cake toppers came to be when Victoria wed Prince Albert in 1850 and she or he had small figurines of herself and therefore the Prince created for the highest. By the 1950s, this was commonly seen in U.S. weddings. Finally, the groom’s cake may be a uniquely American custom that started within the South.
White Dresses
Wedding dresses weren’t white until after Queen Victoria married in 1840. Before then women wore the best dress they had. White was considered an impractical color and wasn’t widely worn, because of the limitations of laundering techniques before the later part of the 20th century, white dresses provided an opportunity for conspicuous consumption. They were favored primarily as a way to show the world that the bride’s family was so wealthy and so firmly part of the leisure class that the bride would choose an elaborate dress that could be ruined by any sort of work or spill. By the end of the 19th century, the white dress was the garment of choice for elite brides on both sides of the Atlantic. However, middle-class British and American brides did not adopt the trend fully until after World War II. With increased prosperity in the 20th century, the tradition also grew to include the practice of wearing the dress only once. As historian Vicky Howard writes, “If a bride wore white in the nineteenth century, it was acceptable and likely that she wore her gown again”. Even Queen Victoria had her famous lace wedding dress re-styled for later use.
Carrying the Bride Over the Threshold
A favorite tradition of television newlyweds is to hold the bride over the edge before entering their home to begin a replacement life together. The reason? It’s bad luck for a bride to trip upon entering the couple’s home for the primary time and if she is carried, she’s going to not bring “evil spirits” in together with her. Her husband carries her so this may not happen.
Honeymoons
Some say the honeymoon stemmed from the bridal abductions. The kidnapped bride and her groom would run off to a hidden location so no one would find them. They were usually gone for about a month. Others highlight that the reason for the honeymoon was to travel to visit friends and relatives who couldn’t attend the wedding itself. Either way, the honeymoon is now firmly embedded in American wedding culture.
Dancing the first dance
At the wedding reception, the couple will have their first dance together. This dance is usually followed by the bride and her father, then the groom and his mother. If you want to make this moment unforgettable, Contact US
Giving guests gifts
The purpose of inviting guests is to have them witness a couple’s marriage ceremony and vows. This creates a memory to share with joy and celebration. Gifts for the wedding couple are optional, although most guests attempt to give at least a token gift of their best wishes. Some couples and families feel, contrary to proper etiquette, that in return for the expense they put into entertaining and feeding their guests, the guests should pay them with similarly expensive gifts or cash. As a thank you, some wedding couples also give guests keepsake gifts, called wedding favors.
